Missile launcher

ABSTRACT

A missile launcher of elongated rectangular, box-like, contour is provided, so that either a single unit, or cell, may be deployed or a plurality of them may be arranged as a battery. The launcher will accept a missile having folded fins which erect automatically as the missile leaves the launcher. Provision is made for preventing the missile from leaving the launcher in the event of accidental rocket ignition, and for preventing collision of the aft end of the missile with the forward rail of the launcher during a launching. Unique door structure and an effective safety an arming mechanism are also provided.

O Umted States Patent 1 1 1 1 3,742,813

Kongelbeck 1 July 3, 1973 [54] MISSILE LAUNCHER 3,049,976 8/l962 Herethet al.... 89/L8 [75] Inventor: Sverre Kongelbeck, silver Spring3,096,726 7/1963 Johnson et al 89/].805 X Primary Examiner-Samuel W.Engle [73] Assignee: The United States of America as Attorney-RSciascia. Cooke and represented by the Secretary of the Erickson Navy[22] Filed: Dec. 14, 1970 [57] ABSTRACT A miss1le launcher of elongatedrectangular. box-like, [21] Appl- 97,686 contour is provided, so thateither a single unit, or cell, may be deployed or a plurality of themmay be ar 521 11.5. (:1 89/l.807, 89/l .812, 89/l.8l4, ranged as abattery- The launcher will accept a missile 89/1315 89/13, 89/1319having folded fins which erect automatically as the mis- 511 1111. c1F41f 3/04 She leaves the lauheheh Provision is made for P [58] Field ofSearch 89/1.8-1.819, 30, 31; e the missile from leaving the launcher inthe event 160/1'88 238 of accidental rocket ignition, and for preventingcollision of the aft end of the missile with the forward rail 561References Cited of the launcher during a launching. Unique door struc-UNITED STATES PATENTS ture and an effective safety an arming mechanismare also provided. 2,960,009 1 1/1960 Hereth et al 89/L805 2,634,1244/1953 Davis 160/188 40 Claims, 9 ng ig r 3,106,132 10/1963v Biermann etal. 89/].819 X 3,453,929 7/1969 Betzold et al. 89/36 L Pmmmms I9753,742,813 Y am out as INVENTOR SVERRE KONGELBECK ATTORNEY PATENTEU L 3I975 sum 0MB 39 PATENTEDJUL3 ms 3.742.813

SIIEEI OSBF 39 PATENIEDJULQ ms 3.742.813 SIEEI 060$ 39 PATENTED JUL 3 5SHE! 0801' 39 PAIENIEUJUL 3 I975 3.742.813

SlEEI 090i 39 FIG. 7

PATENTEDJULIJ 1923 3,742,813 SHEEI 110F 39 FIG. 80

PAYENTEDJULIB 1973 PATENTEU JUL 3 I975 FIG. 12

PAIENIEDJ L3 I975 3.742.813 am mar '39 I4 "D FORWARD PATENTEU JUL 3 I975Own

1. A missile launcher including a body having side and bottom walls, afloor spaced above the bottom wall and an open forward end, a doormounted for movement in the body, actuating means between the bottomwall and the floor and operable for moving the door to an open positionbetween the bottom wall and the floor or to a closed position closingthe forward end, a launcher rail mounted in the body and includingforward and aft rail sections, said forward rail section being hingedlyconnected to the aft rail section with its forward end movable to anelevated position to clear the aft end of a missile moving from thelauncher, guide rails mounted in opposed relation on the side walls andbeing engageable with missile fins during movement of a missile throughthe launcher, a frangible wall closing the body at its aft end, said aftend wall being destructible by rocket exhaust as a missile leaves thelauncher, and arming means on the launcher for such missile.
 2. Theinvention of claim 1, including additionally means on the body forpreventing aft movement of such missile prior to arming and firingthereof.
 3. A missile launcher as recited in claim 1, wherein said bodyincludes tracks, and wherein said door is movable in said tracks, saiddoor including a plurality of slats mounted for cooperating articulatingmovement.
 4. A missile launcher as recited in claim 1, wherein saidactuating means includes a pneumatic actuator.
 5. A missile launcher asrecited in claim 4, including additionally a carriage connecting thedoor to the pneumatic actuator, and guide rails on the body, saidcarriage being slidable on the guide rails.
 6. A missile launcher asrecited in claim 4, including a fluid source between the bottom wall andthe floor, and means carried by the body and operatively connecting thefluid source with the pneumatic actuator,
 7. A missile launcher asrecited in claim 6, wherein said last-mentioned means comprises aplurality of air lines, a valve operatively connected to the air lines,and electrically operated means for controlling the valve.
 8. Theinvention as recited in claim 7, wherein said electrically operatedmeans comprises a solenoid, a relay, an electric power source, andcircuit connections between said solenoid, said relay and said elecTricpower source.
 9. The invention as recited in claim 8, includingadditionally indicator lights, and circuit connections between saidrelay, said lights and said electric power source.
 10. In a missilelauncher as recited in claim 1, including additionally means forpreventing aft movement of such missile prior to arming and firingthereof, said aft movement preventing means comprising an aft latchengageable with a missile shoe.
 11. A missile launcher as recited inclaim 10, including additionally a restrainer latch engageable with amissile shoe.
 12. The invention as recited in claim 1, includingadditionally tracks on the launcher rail, and further including an aftlatch in one of said tracks for engagement with a missile shoe on one ofthe tracks for preventing aft displacement of a missile in the launcher,and a restrainer latch in one of said tracks for engagement with suchmissile shoe for arresting forward movement of such missile until apredetermined amount of thrust is developed thereby.
 13. The inventionas recited in claim 12, including additionally an arming and firingmechanism having an arming lever engageable with an arming switch on amissile on the launcher rail.
 14. The invention as recited in claim 1,including additionally means urging said forward rail section towardsaid elevated position, latch means for initially retaining said forwardrail section in a lowered position, and releasing means engageable by amissile shoe for releasing said latch means and permitting said urgingmeans to move said forward rail section to said elevated position. 15.The invention as recited in claim 14, wherein said urging means includesan actuator having a piston rod, a crank connected to the piston rod,and a clevis connecting the crank to the launcher rail.
 16. Theinvention as recited in claim 14, including additionally a trippermechanism carried by the rail and having a housing, a latch carried bythe housing and engageable with the body, means carried by the housingand normally maintaining the latch in engagement with the body, meansactuated by a moving missile shoe for releasing the latch, and meanscarried by the housing and connected with the body for moving the railto an elevated position upon actuation of said latch releasing means.17. A missile launcher as recited in claim 1, including additionally aconsole positioned remotely from said launcher, electric circuitconnections between the launcher and the console, control means carriedby the console for controlling operation of the launcher, and indicatormeans on the console for indicating operations effected by said controlmeans.
 18. A missile launcher as recited in claim 1, includingadditionally means for connection to said launcher for facilitating theloading of a missile therein.
 19. A missile launcher as recited in claim1, wherein said body is of oblong rectangular contour and comprises aframe having spaced forward, intermediate and aft frame sections, siderails connecting the sections, a bottom wall carried by the frame, and aforward door carried by the frame, said forward door being movable froman open position lying above the bottom wall to a closed position insaid forward frame section.
 20. A missile launcher as recited in claim1, wherein said actuating means includes a pneumatic actuator mountedbeneath the floor, a carriage connecting the actuator with the door, andguide rails on the body for guiding the carriage, said pneumaticactuator including buffer means for cushioning movement of the door asit moves to full open or full closed position.
 21. A missile launcher asrecited in claim 20, wherein said pneumatic actuator includes a maincylinder, a main actuator piston in the main cylinder and having ashoulder, and a latch having a bolt enGageable with the shoulder, saidbolt being displaceable from the shoulder by a gas under pressure topermit movement of the main actuator piston in the main cylinder.
 22. Amissile launcher as recited in claim 21, wherein said latch includes ahousing having a cylinder therein, a piston in the cylinder and mountingthe bolt, a base for said latch housing, said base and said pistondefining a fluid chamber and said bolt having a bore communicatingbetween the interior of the latch and said chamber, and means forintroducing fluid under pressure to said latch, said fluid flowingthrough said bore into said fluid chamber for displacing the bolt fromsaid shoulder for releasing the main actuator piston.
 23. A missilelauncher as recited in claim 21, wherein said buffer means includes aprimary buffer and a hydraulic buffer, said primary buffer including abuffer rod, a buffer piston rod connected to the buffer rod, a drivenelement on the buffer piston rod, a driving element mounted for limitedsliding movement on the buffer rod and on the buffer piston rod, andspring means between the driving element and the driven element.
 24. Amissile launcher as recited in claim 23, wherein said spring meanscomprises a plurality of stacked Belleville washers.
 25. The inventionas recited in claim 23, wherein said spring means comprises a pluralityof stacked Belleville washers, the washers of at least one pair of saidwashers being positioned with their concave surfaces in opposedrelation.
 26. The invention as recited in claim 23, wherein thehydraulic buffer includes a buffer body having a wall formed with asump, said wall being tapered in thickness toward one end, and a pistonon the piston rod and movable therewith in the buffer body toward saidtapered wall for displacing a liquid in said buffer body about saidpiston and through said sump, whereby the movement of said piston andpiston rod will be buffered.
 27. The invention as recited in claim 1,wherein said guide rails are tapered toward each other throughoutportions of their lengths and away from each other throughout otherportions of their lengths, whereby said fins will be rocked as they movethrough the launcher and thus prevented from sticking.
 28. A missilelauncher including a body of oblong rectangular contour and comprising aframe having spaced forward, intermediate and aft frame sections andtop, side and bottom walls, a floor spaced above the bottom wall, aforward door carried by the frame and movable from an open positionlying between the floor and the bottom wall to a closed position in theforward frame section for closing the forward end of the launcher, saiddoor comprising a plurality of slats connected for articulatingmovement, a missile having self-erecting foldable fins, and a shoe, alauncher rail mounted in the body and supported by the frame sections,said launcher rail supporting said missile for movement from thelauncher and having forward and aft rail sections, said forward railsection being hingedly connected to the aft rail section with itsforward end movable to an elevated position to clear the aft end of themissile as it moves from the launcher, and guide rails mounted inopposed relation on the side walls and being engageable with missilefins during movement of the missile through the launcher, said finserecting as the missile leaves the launcher.
 29. The invention asrecited in claim 28, wherein said missile includes a rocket, andincluding additionally a frangible wall closing the aft end of the body,said frangible wall being destroyed by the exhaust of the rocket as themissile leaves the launcher.
 30. The invention as recited in claim 28,including means on the body for establishing electrical connection withthe missile.
 31. The invention as recited in claim 28, including meansfor Preventing premature movement of the missile in the body.
 32. Theinvention as recited in claim 28, including a missile connector forestablishing electrical connection with the missile, said missileconnector comprising a missile socket on the aft end of the missile, aframe socket on the aft end of the launcher body, and an expendablewiring harness connecting the missile socket with the frame socket. 33.The invention as recited in claim 32, including additionally a housingfor the wiring harness and an adapter connected between the harness andthe missile socket.
 34. A missile launcher as recited in claim 28,including additionally arming means on the missile, firing means on themissile, and means on the launcher and engageable with the arming andfiring means for arming and firing the missile.
 35. A missile launcheras recited in claim 28, including additionally an arming switch on themissile, a contact button on the missile, an arming lever on thelauncher rail and having an arming shoe engageable with the armingswitch, a contact plunger on the launcher rail and having a contactorengageable with the contact button, and means carried by the launcherrail and operable for moving said arming lever and said contact plungerand contactor into operative positions for arming and firing themissile.
 36. A missile launcher as recited in claim 35, wherein saidmeans includes a cam shaft mounting the arming lever, a crank carried bythe cam shaft and having a crank pin, said plunger having an arcuate camslot receiving said crank pin, and a pneumatic jack having a cylinderconnected to the launcher rail and a piston rod connected to the arminglever.
 37. The missile launcher as recited in claim 28, including atripper mechanism for initially retaining the forward rail section inlowered position, said tripper mechanism having a tripper engageable bythe shoe for releasing said forward rail section, and fluid operatedmeans for effecting upward swinging movement of the forward railsection.
 38. The missile launcher as recited in claim 37, wherein saidfluid operated means includes an actuator having a piston rod, and meansfor providing buffering action for the piston rod.
 39. A missilelauncher including a body of oblong rectangular contour and having aframe having spaced forward, intermediate and aft frame sections andtop, side and bottom walls, a floor in the body and spaced above thebottom wall, a launcher rail in the body and mounted on the framebeneath the top wall, a missile on the launcher rail for launching fromthe body and having a forward shoe and erectable folded fins, guiderails in the body adjacent the side walls and engageable with the finsas the missile moves through the launcher, an arming switch on theforward shoe, a cam shaft on the launcher rail, an arming lever on thecam shaft and having an arming shoe thereon, a contact button themissile, a contact plunger on the launcher rail and having a contactorengageable with the contact button, a positive motion cam having a latchmember and a driven element, a driving element on the cam shaft andengageable with the driven element, said latch member being engageablewith the missile forward shoe for arresting premature forward movementof the missile, means operatively connecting the contact plunger withthe cam shaft, and a pneumatic jack connected to the arming lever, saidjack being operable for moving the arming lever for engaging the armingshoe with the arming switch for arming the missile, movement of thearming lever shifting the contact plunger and engaging the contactorwith the contact button for firing the missile, movement of the camshaft moving the driven element of the positive motion cam for releasingthe latch member from the missile shoe for permitting movement of themissile frOm the launcher.
 40. The invention as recited in claim 39,wherein said arming switch has an arming pin, and wherein said armingshoe has a cam surface and a stop wall engageable by the arming pin.